Construction begins for India's Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion

Construction work has started on India's pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai, which is set to focus on the increasing number of start-ups in the country as well and an emphasis on innovation, in addition to highlighting's India's 5,000 years of civilisation.

The four-storey pavilion will be located in Opportunity District, with structural works planned for completion by December 2019, while civil works would complete by March 2020.

India’s Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, said plans for the pavilion's development were recently discussed with the Indian government's Department of Commerce as well, Construction Week reported.

Puri said structural work would be completed by December 2019, while civil works would complete by March 2020.

He tweeted: "The entire pavilion with interiors and curation will be ready in August 2020, well in time for the inauguration of the expo in October."

Also visible in the rendering is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, a well-known Indian freedom fighter often called the 'Father of the Nation' in India, and a separate structure partially resembling a sun dial.

National Stock Exchange-listed NBCC India Limited, formerly known as National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC), is overseeing the development of the project through its Dubai subsidiary, NBCC DWC.